Cornwall Ontario – There’s a dark side to journalism.  Play ball, don’t report certain things, report others in favorable terms and you too could do the Heart of the City to City Hall shuffle as Kevin Lajoie did, and now Todd Lihou appears to be doing.

All on the public’s dime.    Now this isn’t saying that these gentlemen are bad fellows(although Mr. Lajoie does seem to have issues with sending city releases to this newspaper on a regular basis)  or have broken any laws, but under Bob Peters clearly there are arcing lines, the lack of success and hiring/supporting of friends and cronies.

Tourism is a total clusterpuck.  The Unitied Counties of SD&G decided to divorce from Cornwall.    They had fired their ED and put a board member in charge, Linda Wilson, who frankly appeared to know about as much about tourism as my dog Fitzy.   The results were clear enough.  Cash down the drain for a few signs.

With an envelope of nearly $200K per year is there any reason to give Mr. Lajoie his reign?  Does he have any experience or qualities in tourism other than kissing Bob Peter’s posterior with the fealty of a Medieval peasant? Has he excelled at his current position with the city to warrant such a promotion and is it really necessary to replace him with what many expect to be Lihou as his funding contract with Heart of the City is coming to a close?  Was this position even advertised?  (this writer nor anyone he’s spoken to have seen an ad for the Tourism gig) Has Mr. Peters succeeded in his role with Economic Development to warrant adding the tourism envelope to his care?

This is a city where Alyssa Blais, another Peter’s crony, gets a job with a large local construction company close enough time linewise to when said company made a bucket of money from city deals.

If you’re in those dark and murky clique circles you make a living, but there’s a price to pay.  We call it the Lumley Tree; where you unquestioningly do what your told…or else!

Water & Sewer rates are going up 6.25% or about $50 per house.   That’s huge, and in an election year.  They wanted a lot more because of the corruption and incompetence at City Hall, and one council dumping problems on the next.

Reports of over 30 water main breaks alone in 2017 are costing taxpayers a lot of many as many of these repairs are being done in emergency situations rather than being replaced responsibly.  Reserves are nowhere near where they should be and no money is really available to fill them.  Contrary to what City Hall rumbles, there really are no major services to cut as Police and Fire are running uncontrolled cash wise.

Whether it be the bloated police and fire budgets, or the fiscal raping of this city by selling Cornwall Electric, the old adage of you get what you vote for is clearly coming to roost in Cornwall.   Voting for someone because they’re a nice guy or friend isn’t who to put in charge in a city anymore than it would be if you required brain surgery, which apparently many at City Hall may require based on their actions.

It’s decimated the local economy and the only expectation at this point is that next term we’re either going to see sharper tax increases or a new council that will do as Brampton and clean house of managers that either are hiring their friends or simply not generating positive results.    Sometimes it’s better to bite the bullet and pay out notice than simply allow a failure to fail as we’re seeing here in Cornwall.

Isn’t it time to build a welcoming, progressive community that is inclusive and a place where people can build things rather than be a thuggy bully town that tries to kill anything a very small clique can’t control?

Isn’t it time for a city of around 40,000 to stop acting like a village of 400?

And isn’t it time to have a conversation about amalgamation?  If Glen Walter can be on Cornwall Electric, and Cornwall water and sewage, shouldn’t their taxbase be contributing to Cornwall?

Simple questions which voters will be able to answer in 2018.

Merry Christmas and Happy 2018 to All!